Fat Sacks and Prop Size

[tazz3069]

When I purchased my 07' LSV last year, I got it with the Gravity III upgrade. Until last weekend, I did not use it. Yea I know!! Well anyways, my son is getting better and I have a few more friends that wakeboard. I fill the tanks and off we went. The day went great. The reason for this post is for two reasons:

The first reason is the prop. All thre sacks were fill. It took forever for the boat to get to speed. I would like some help with the prop size. Currently, I have a 16 x 13.5 prop. I think the guy who sold it to me was wrong on what I needed. Can anyone help me with a good prop. My friend is letting me try one of his props. It is a 14.5 x 14.5 prop.

The second reason is my sacks. After a hard day of wakeboarding, I went to drain the tanks. The water stoped flowing and home we went. This morning, I went to clean the boat. I took everything out. I noticed that the bags still had water in them. I pulled the boat in the drive way so the rear is on the down side of the incline. Hit the switches and nothing happened. I had to lift the bags above my head. My son hit the switch and water started to flow. When all the bags were empty, I removed them to dry out and let the lockers dry out. When I set the bags on the driveway, I noticed that the drain spout was not on the bottom or towards the bottom of the bag. I thought the bag was upsidedown so I flipped it. Still the same thing. Is this a flaw in the design of the bag or did I get a bad batch of bags?

It is a good thing that I checked this because we are planning a big trip to Calif. We need to pass through a check point. I did this last year. They will check the hull for water and check the bags for water. If there is water in the boat, they will not let me cross. This is because of the Zebra Mussel problem.

Can any one help me out here.
Thanks in advance
Tazz

[Aquaholic]

I run the Acme 1234 prop also, its 14.5 X 14.0. Its a work horse and I love the thrust it produces. One negitive to this prop is the loss of all speed above 35mph for my XLV.
I have another prop its the 537 or 637 one of these, anyway it's a little less MAX thrust as the 1234 is and gives about 3 or 4 mph more top end. I would call and talk with Karl at boarditup.com. He is the guy I bought my first prop from. I did some testing for Acme and they let me keep a few props for the effort. If Karl tells you get a 537 I'll sell it for less. I don't use it, but I burn more gas with the 1234. If the 1234 was not an option the 537 would be my second choice, no question.

As for the Bags, the fill should be on the top and the empty on the side, near the bottom lower side. I have to curl my line under the bag, not the fitting but just the line. It keeps the line from getting an air bubble. Also you try this, as you are dumping and you see it stops try turning the switch to fill for a second or two and then continue to dump. Also try filling the bags full and use the breather cap to vent all of the air out. You could have trapped air in the bags. When I fill them tight and get all the air out I never have emptying problems for the rest of the summer.


Aqua

[tazz3069]

I am not so conserned about the speed. I just need a better hole shot. Like I said, my 325 was really working its tail off. to get up to speed.

[cab13367]

Tazz,

First off, I upgraded by ballast to the same that came on the 2007 LSV so we have the same bags. The fill and the empty hole for the bags are about an inch from the bottom of the bag, and your boat is sitting more or less level if you empty them while sitting still so you won't ever get all the water out if you just hit the empty switches while sitting. One thing I tried is to hit the empty switches again while underway to the boat dock. This raises the nose of your boat and forces the water towards the rear of the bags so you get a little more out. What I do these days is lift each bag while my son mans the switches (like you did). I do this while still on the water. I then unhook and remove the bag and lay it on top of the engine cover with the fitting end of the bag hanging over the swim platform. I then roll up the bag starting from the opposite end of the fittings to get the last little bit of water out and then put them back in the storage locker still rolled up.

As far as the prop, mine came with the stock prop which is a 13.75 x 17.75. I believe the first # is the prop diameter and the second is the pitch. With this prop, all three bags filled (1200 lbs) and three adults and three kids on the boat, I have no trouble at all popping right up on my wakeboard. So I am a little suprised that you are having trouble.

The ultimate wakeboard prop is a 14.25 x 14 and is designed for heaviliy ballasted boats. Be aware that your fuel consumption will increase (since you will be running at higher rpm at all speeds) and your top speed will decrease with this prop (since it's a bigger prop with a lot less pitch), but you won't have any issues with holeshot. This is a perfect prop for Aqua's boat for example since he has the XLV and is probably running 2000lbs of ballast. Since you are a skier, this might not be ideal for you.

A prop that my dealer recommended for the LSV is the 13.75 x 15.75. It's kind of mid way between the stocker and the 14.25 x 14. You get more holeshot, but you don't lose nearly as much on the top end and in gas consumption.

Hope that helps.

Al

[cab13367]

I am not so conserned about the speed. I just need a better hole shot. Like I said, my 325 was really working its tail off. to get up to speed.

How many people did you have in the boat at the time?

[tazz3069]

Maybe I had too many people in the boat also. 6 adults and 3 kids. Bags full. I do not remember what I had for a stock prop. Its in the shop right now getting fixed. The prop on it nowis the 16x13.5. I would like to try the prop you mentioned 13.75 x 15.75. In regards to the bags, My two rear bags fill the entire locker and a 1/3 of the seat locker. I thought that with all 3 bags full, we get an extra 1980 lbs. of ballast. I could be wrong.
Someone in here mentioned hard sacks. I can not find them anywhere. I would like to see how they look and see how they install.

[Hillbilly]

I believe GGIII ballast is 1200 lbs. 3x 400 Does anybody know what size the upgraded cnc prop from the dealer is? That is what I have and I dont think it's enough. But I also am running about 1k over stock.

[tazz3069]

Does your bags go past the rear locker?

[cab13367]

Maybe I had too many people in the boat also. 6 adults and 3 kids. Bags full. I do not remember what I had for a stock prop. Its in the shop right now getting fixed. The prop on it nowis the 16x13.5. I would like to try the prop you mentioned 13.75 x 15.75. In regards to the bags, My two rear bags fill the entire locker and a 1/3 of the seat locker. I thought that with all 3 bags full, we get an extra 1980 lbs. of ballast. I could be wrong.
Someone in here mentioned hard sacks. I can not find them anywhere. I would like to see how they look and see how they install.
Tazz,

You should see a label like the pic below on the end of your bag opposite the fittings. The last 6 #'s represent the dimensions of the bag in inches - 10x16x70. This is the stock bag on the 2007 LSV and weighs 400#'s each. Yes, it extends beyond the ski locker and into the storage under the rear seats.

I called the guy that Aqua recommended and he really knows his props and it's application to wakeboard boats. I would recommend giving him a call. I don't have his # anymore - maybe Aqua can provide it.

Hard tanks come on some boats like Mastercrafts. I don't know if anyone sells them in the aftermarket. I personally like out set up as it make it easy to switch them out. For example, when we surf, I take out the surf side bag and replace it with a 750# bag already with the fittings installed. Only takes a minute.

Al

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/004.jpg

[dtlaine]

Wouldn't a prop that has a better holeshot make it so you use less fuel? I notice when I have 1200 lbs of ballast and 5 adults I go through a ton of fuel, and I think that's because the driver has to hold it WOT for so long to get on plane and up to the desired speed. I was told by my dealer that I should get that 14x14.5 prop to save fuel. Anyone else heard that?

[cab13367]

Wouldn't a prop that has a better holeshot make it so you use less fuel? I notice when I have 1200 lbs of ballast and 5 adults I go through a ton of fuel, and I think that's because the driver has to hold it WOT for so long to get on plane and up to the desired speed. I was told by my dealer that I should get that 14x14.5 prop to save fuel. Anyone else heard that?

dt,

If you are running fully loaded all the time, you will get better mpg with the correct prop (i.e., the wakeboard prop) because your engine is operating more efficiently (not working as hard). But at light loads, you would burn more fuel because a prop with more pitch will do the same job at fewer rpms.

That is my understanding anyway.

Al

[tazz3069]

Cab--
That is exactly what I have. I need to get the number from aqua. I really need to talk to the prop guy before I shell out another $500.00 bucks. Thanks for your help. I found the member that posted about the custom tanks. In his post, he said that the cost was $125.00 per tank. I had asked for the guys information and some pictures.

[tazz3069]

I would call and talk with Karl at boarditup.com. He is the guy I bought my first prop from. Aqua

Cab--
Is this the guy you talked too?
Mark

[cab13367]

Tazz,

No worries, and good luck. I typically go out with just a few people, or another couple with a couple small kids so I have not run into any performance issues yet. Once I do, I will probably have to get another prop as well.

Al

[cab13367]

Cab--
Is this the guy you talked too?
Mark

Yes, that's him.

[dtlaine]

dt,

If you are running fully loaded all the time, you will get better mpg with the correct prop (i.e., the wakeboard prop) because your engine is operating more efficiently (not working as hard). But at light loads, you would burn more fuel because a prop with more pitch will do the same job at fewer rpms.

That is my understanding anyway.

Al

That makes sense. I'm typically putting around the lake looking at houses or wakeboarding, so I think the wakeboard prop would be a good investment. I don't often do 30-40 MPH cruises across the lake or down a river.

Thank you,

[jimmobius]

Well I needed to get another prop for the boat and this altitude. I inquired to OJ and Acme and recieved responses from both companies. Acme recommended the 537 and I purchased it . I replaced the oem oj 13.7 x 17.5 which I will get repaired and keep for lower elevation when I travel. What a difference the Acme made. Silky smooth , outstanding hole shot with 2 350LB sacks in the back , 3 people on board and mile high elevation . My buddy runs the same prop on his Tige z boat and likes it. I guess it depends on where you run your boat at and how loaded it is. I also for got to state that I have an indmar assalt 325hp engine. Jim.

[Tyger]

I just upgraded my two rear sacks from #400 to #750. Using one #750 in the rear provides a great surf wake. After I got the new bags, we messed around with the #400s placing them on the side seat and in the bow.

When we switched to wakeboarding, I simply filled the rear starboard #750 and off we went. Well, almost. :D My boat has a good holeshot, but even with only two people in the boat, #2700 of ballast makes the boat take forever to get on plane.

I decided that #750 is great for surfing, but for wakeboarding I need to back off to #600 or so. This allows the boat to quickly plane out without changing the prop. Altitude is something you can't control, but if you have more people, make sure you reduce your ballast and space them out so that the rear isn't over-loaded.

[tazz3069]

Just talked with the guys at www.borditup.com. Very nice people. I will be ordering my new prop tonight.

[cab13367]

Which one are you getting?

[tazz3069]

I told him that I wakeboard and ski. He recommended the ACME 14x14.25 prop.